General Information
- Attendance
All children on roll are expected to attend every day when school is in session, as long as they are fit and healthy to do so. We believe that children need to be in school for all sessions so that they can make the most progress possible. However, we do understand that there are circumstances under which parents may legitimately request leave of absence for a child to attend.
If parents wish for their child to be absent from school they are requested to complete an 'Application for Leave of Absence during Term Time' form and return it to the school at least one week in advance. The decision to authorise any absence is taken by the Head teacher and will take into account the child's record of attendance.
For further information please see the Newlands Spring Primary and Nursery School's Attendance Policy
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Communication
The school uses SchoolComms, a parent mail platform, for sending out correspondence/information regarding the school via email to parents and carers. SchoolComms enables us to send weekly newsletters, trip letters, sports letters etc. electronically via email and it also allows us to use a text messaging service via mobile phones. If you haven't already registered for this service we recommend you do so as soon as possible - contact the school office for further information.
! Please remember to inform the school office of an changes to your email address and contact details.
- Pupil Premium (Free School Meals) Eligibility
Our funding is partly influenced by the number of families we have claiming free school meals. Even if you think your child will not want a school dinner every day or is currently in Key Stage 1 it is still worth claiming. To check eligibility please visit the LGfL Free School Meal Eligibility Checker (Privacy Notice for FSM). A Certificate of Eligibility will be available through the website for any child eligible and should be taken to the school, along with any supporting evidence, for the school to register your claim for Free School Meals and Pupil Premium.
Any child receiving free school meals will be treated with complete confidentiality.
- Late Arrival after Registration
The class registers are taken twice daily at 8.45 am and 1.15 pm for Key Stage 2 and at 8.45 am and 1.00 pm for key Stage 1. If you are unable to get your child into school by these times please can you ensure that you bring them to the school office via the main entrance and sign them in to record that they are in school and also to advise what they will be having for dinner.
- Lost property
Lost property is located in the playground. It is cleared out at the end of each half term and all unnamed items, in good condition, are donated to charity. Parents are asked to ensure all items are clearly marked with their child's name and class to help us reunite lost property with its owners.
- Medicines
The administration of medicines should ideally be administered by parents and parents are encouraged to schedule their child's medication to permit this. Where possible, the school may support the administration of medicines to children when these are of an essential nature (e.g. epilepsy, diabetes, asthma, anaphylaxis) during the school day.
If your child needs medication given to them within school time can you please bring their medication to the school office and complete the parental agreement form so that staff can administer and record this accordingly.
- Naming of School Uniform
It is important that each item of your child's uniform, including their PE kit, has their name clearly marked on them. A large amount of unnamed uniform is handed into the school office on a daily basis.
- Online Payment System
The school has an online payment system which gives parents/carers the facility to pay for services, such as school trips, school dinners, music lessons, springers etc., online. This is our preferred method of payment. If you haven't already registered please contact the school office for further information and your child's unique Agora reference number.
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School Closure
In the event of school closure due to bad weather or other unforeseen circumstances we will do our best to notify parents and carers as soon as possible at the start of the day via SchoolComms. If you are not registered for SchoolComms please enquire at the school office.
In the event that we are unable to send out a SchoolComms notification, school closures will also be updated on the Essex County Council Website mentioned below, Twitter and the school website.
To download the school's Emergency Closure Procedure please click here
- Essex County Council Notification System
Essex County Council has developed a new online notification system to keep parents up to date about unplanned closures. The system was introduced to allow parents and carers to access information about school closures faster and more effectively via the internet. All Essex schools will be able to complete a simple reporting process either on the day of the closure or the day before. A notification will then be added to a live feed on the emergency school closures page on the council's website.
- Sickness Procedure
If your child is unable to attend school due to ill health can you please ensure that the school office (01245 442031) is informed by 9.30 am every morning that your child is off sick. This will then be recorded in the register as an authorised absence.
- SIMS Parent
Further information on SIMS Parent is available from SIMS Parent Overview, SIMS Parent User Guide and SIMS Parent Policy